Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a clinically defined condition characterized by severe disabling flu-like fatigue and a combination of symptoms that include impairment in concentration and short-term memory, sleep disturbances, and musculosketetal pain.
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic rheumatic condition characterized by systemic body pain and uncontrollable fatigue. Many other symptoms are associated with FMS, such as headaches, sleep disorders and poor circulation.
CFS and FMS remain serious problems for a large segment of the general population. While many medications are commonly used to treat these conditions, there are no known medications which permanently resolve the symptoms of either CFS or FMS and many of the currently used medications produce undesirable side effects ranging from drowsiness and dizziness to addiction and liver damage.
Some of the more common medications employed to treat CFS and/or FMS include analgesics, hypnotics, immune suppressants and an array of herbal and dietary supplements.
Analgesics include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. An analgesic that is sometimes prescribed for CFS and FMS patients is cyclobenzaprine. It is generally prescribed for the relief of skeletal muscle spasms.
Hypnotics used in the treatment of CFS and FMS include the benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are typically prescribed for CFS patients as a treatment for various sleep disorders. Examples of benzodiazepines used in the treatment of CFS and FMS are Klonopin™, Valium™, Xanax™, Ativan™, and Dalmane™. A non-benzadiazepine hypnotic drug that has sometimes been prescribed to relieve sleep problems for CFS patients if Zolpidem™.
Immune suppressants prescribed to treat CFS and FMS include azathioprine. Such use is purely experimental and generally considered inappropriate for the treatment of CFS and FMS in view of the degree of toxicity associated with these agents.
Other drugs given to treat CFS and FMS include Naltrexoned™, opioid antagonist, sodium retention agents, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, histamine blockers, antidepressants, allergy medications, and acute anxiety medications. Most of these drugs are either inappropriate for the treatment of CFS and FMS either because they are not effective or because of the significant side effects associated with their use.
A wide variety of herbal preparations, and dietary supplements have been suggested for use in alleviating the symptoms of CFS and/or FMS. One such herbal preparation is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,919,460. Although the potential medicinal value of various herbs is promising, it is difficult, if not impossible, to assess the validity of scientific claims regarding these substances.
Other medications recently suggested for the treatment of CFS and/or FMS include buprenorphine (U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,420) and various esters and salts of 4-hydroxybutyric acid (U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,162).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,949 discloses that the symptoms of CFS and FMS can be alleviated through androgen therapy. However, the prolonged administration of adrogens involves a number of undesirable side effects such as hirsutism in women.
While a number of options exist for the treatment of CFS and/or FMS, a need continues to exist for a composition that is effective in treating CFS and/or FMS in the absence of any significant undesirable side effects.